1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatus for monitoring alarms and providing notification signals when an alarm condition occurs and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to apparatus for detecting when an alarm condition occurs and generating notification signals in a variable sequence of priorities.
2. Description of the Prior Art (Prior Art Statement)
U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,692 issued to Seaborn, Jr. discloses an emergency communication system which is proposed to include a portable unit communicating with a console which in turn communicates with a central station via leased telephone lines. In operation the portable unit detects emergency conditions and sends signals via the telephone lines to the central station for acknowledgement thereby. Once the central station has received an alarm signal, it is capable of generating a call for assistance and a signal to notify the portable unit that assistance is on the way.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,763 issued to Wadhwani et al. discloses a security system which includes various sensors, line converters, remote input and output devices, a master controller, and a remote central station. These elements are proposed to be combined so that they may detect alarm conditions and report the occurrence thereof to the central station.
In addition to the above two patents, Applicant knows of the following references which also deal with alarm and security systems
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 4,006,460 Hewitt et al. 3,939,460 Horn et al. 3,750,110 Martin et al. 3,568,161 Knickel 3,978,479 Schmitz 3,978,478 Schmitz 3,978,477 Schmitz 3,978,475 Schmitz ______________________________________
Upon examination of these references, it will be noted that the disclosures generally propose apparatus for detecting alarm conditions and relaying such detection information to a central information gathering device. Also generally disclosed are proposals for using various types of computers and interconnecting these computers to the alarm sensors.
In light of such disclosures, Applicant believes that none of these references, either individually or collectively, discloses the invention hereinafter disclosed. In particular, these references fail to teach an apparatus which, after having received alarm condition information from the sensors, automatically establishes a notification signal having a format designed to notify one of a plurality of primary remote units in a variable sequence of priorities. The above references also fail to disclose priority notification apparatus in which the priority sequence can be modified. Still another shortcoming of these references is the lack of a disclosure of an alarm system having a plurality of secondary remote units which are activated by signals generated by the respectively associated primary remote units.